188 Boulevard Haussmann,
Paris
4th July 1877
My dearest Julius,
I was unable to answer your letter yesterday evening, as I was out at some friends, so I must sit down & write to you this afternoon, in time for the post. You will be disappointed dear, at not receiving the photographs at the same time as this letter, but I have not received them yet; if they do not arrive in a day or two, I must enquire about them. Thank you for sending me the old ones of yourself, I like the little one particularly, you look such a good little boy.
I am glad your roses are sufficiently advanced to send to the flower show & hope that you get a prize though you don’t expect any. Do you know dear, you pleased me very much by telling me you had placed two nice roses by my portrait, it was a little chivalrous attention which I thoroughly appreciate.
So you had a quiet Sunday, ours was not so, as we had friends back to lunch & to dinner. Eugéne Jonssense[?] & another young Frenchman in the same regiment; poor fellows, they do so enjoy being away for one day, from the life they hate so much & are like schoolboys out of school till draws near the hour for the last train, & they have to go back. The review took place last Sunday, we saw some of the troops, the Marshall & his staff as we came away from afternoon service.
I have managed, since I last wrote to you, to break off an engagement, or rather to cause the parties, whose name I cannot mention, to do so, it was a kind of half and half affair, with no prospect of marriage for years, & I thought, not sufficient affection on the young man’s part, to make it likely to last; so, as they both consulted me, I advised them if they would not be openly engaged, to break it off completely, & they have done so. I hope I was not wrong but I did what I thought best for both of them. Somehow I have several times had things of the kind confided to me, & I rather wish people wouldn’t, as it is often difficult to know what to say for the best.
The friends we were with last evening, live near the Northern Station & fancy Joe & I walking there & back; coming home, I had the society of a nice young man, & Joe of his pretty sister, so perhaps the walk did not seem so long. As we went through some of the streets on our way there, I thought of our drive to the station together, my darling. I am looking forward to seeing Fanny about the middle of the month on her way to Switzerland. Joe wants to know whether you are acquainted with some people of the name of Irving in Chipping Norton, & if so, who are they?
Have you met the lovely Edith lately? I hope you do not often have four ladies to entertain you, or shall I be completely forgotten! You will have seen in the papers that Ned’s case in the Tyrol is lost. I am sure it must be a dreadful disappointment to them, as they quite hoped for success; Ned is expected home this evening, Martha will be very glad to have him home again I think.
I have really answered all my letters of congratulations; Miss Lyndon’s the last one was answered Monday evening. I felt quite relieved when I had written it.
I suppose by this time Charlotte is at home again. I am glad you sent her the dark photo, & kept the light one, as I am sure it is the best, & somehow I like you to have the best. I don’t quite know why I have begun another sheet of notepaper as when I sat down to write I imagined I had nothing to say, & have let my pen run on with a great deal of rubbish, I daresay; however I feel pretty confident that my darling will read a letter of mine through however long & stupid it may be! I must stop now, though, as I have to practice, before going out to post my letter.
God bless you my darling Julius, believe me
Your own loving
Take a kiss from my name
Eugénie Narcisse Mourilyan
